Friends Can't be Trusted
by GothicDragon221
Summary: Hostile Martian, desperate Reginite. A kind smile to SergeantHeretic and a mischevious one to SupremeReginiteOverlord. A bit of ALIEN in here. R&R pleaz.
1. Prologue

**I do not own anything...literally. Here is the list of what I DON'T own:**

**War of the Worlds is another thing I DON'T own.**

**And the Crystal Egg is another thing I DON'T own.**

**I disown everything!**

**Now, this is going to work like this: Each chapter is either the Reginite's, Zerxus, POV or the Martian's, Machi,POV of the same events that happened previous chapter. This is a prologue and doesn't count. This is from Machi's POV.****

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_"So where is it?"_ the Martian half of the Council asked the Reginite half. The amphibian race huffed. They're not telling us anything. They are allies, but that makes no difference to us.

The item we seek is highly classified and I'm not going to mention it. So I'll call it DNA. Not the genetic make up, but it stands for 'Do Not Ask'.

We knew the Reginites wasn't going to talk but we have a plan. One of the Martians looked at me.

_"Machi...care to do the honors?"_ he asked. I grinned.

_"It'll be my pleasure." _I answered. I lifted the Crystal Egg and set it before the Council. The Reginites were speechless. Like nearly every race, the Reginites highly value the Crystal Egg. It is the future of the universe and all that lives. And now us Martians are holding it against the Reginites.

_"Tell us where it is or else."_ I told them. I didn't have to say my threat. The Reginites got the message loud and clear.

"We don't know where. Only Zerxus does and he's still back on Earth." a Reginite answered.

Us Martians paused. So Zerxus is the only one with the knowledge regarding the DNA. Fortunatly he made me his best friend. We're partner 'explorers' to the planet Earth. Zerxus will tell me everything. I had to leave to come here and get the DNA info from our allies. But now I knew I had to go back to Earth.

Smiling, we gained our mental control on the Reginites and made them fall into a deep sleep. They may be more intellegent than any human could ever hope to be, but their brain power can never compare to ours. As soon as they were in slumber, we wiped every memory regarding this. Afterwards, we ignored their sleeping form.

_"Machi, you must return to Earth."_

_"I know. But Zerxus may not spill. He may consider me as his best friend, but it will be difficult to make him talk."_ I told them.

_"Get what we need by any means possible. The entire Martian fate rests on your tentacles. Don't fail."_

I smiled. _"Don't worry. I won't."_

_"You're so sure of yourself. Just hope that confidence gets what we want."_

I stood up.

_"I will succeed. And NOTHING will get in my way. Not even Zerxus. I garrantee that."_

With that said and done, I made my way to my...'Tripod', as you humans call it, that will fly me back to Earth.

Like I said: Nothing will stop me.

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**I'll repeat: I own NOTHING!**

**Pleaz review!**


	2. Life on Earth

**I do not own anything...literally. Here is the list of what I DON'T own:**

**Tiki is a Xenomorph, which IDON'T own.**

**War of the Worlds is another thing I DON'T own.**

**And the Crystal Egg is another thing I DON'T own.**

**I disown everything!**

**This is from Zerxus' POV.

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**

"Zerxus?" I faced my caller. It was melissa, my pet human.

"Yes?" I asked. Melissa smiled.

"Can I bring Victoria and Daniel over?" Victoria and Daniel is her 2 best friends. I smiled and nodded. Melissa excitedly jumped up and ran off.

"But only for a few ours." I called after her.

"Okay!" she called back. I shook my head in wonder. Humans never make sense. As I made my way towards the kitchen, I felt someone on my yellow cape. I looked back to find Tiki, my Xeno Chestburster, hitching a ride. I smiled and ignored the would be drone. She was dragged along the floor.

She does that all the time. Her partner in cape riding crime was Muffin, but today, my little rat had other things to do...like playing with Morphius, my soft shelled turtle.

Speaking of that, as if on cue, Morphius ran across my path, followed by Muffin. Tiki squealed in excitment and joined the fun. Most human think all turtles are slow, but not all are. Morphius is a 4 year old baby and he's already faster than most humans.

While these little trouble makers play and Melissa left the house to get her friends, I decided to go on this human computer. Working this primitive machine is way too easy. But there's something on a certain site that I had to take care of.

You see, there's this human military soldier that I met on the forums. She probably thought I was hatin on her. Well, at first I was, but now I see her as a play toy. Yup...a toy, an item of mere enjoyment.

Right now, the human is arguing about Reginites feeding on humans. Pathetic really. Humans do the same to other creatures and they only whine when they are being munched on for a change. On this post, she was claiming that I was an animal for eating a creature that IS considered lowly in Reginite terms. Of course, she would think I'm an animal for having a human for a snack...she is a human!

_"Zerxus?"_

It was Machi! He was back from wherever he went off to. He was sending a telepathic message. I gaveoff a message of my own. Martians are a tiny bit more adapted to telepathy because that's their only way of communicating. They practically lost their vocal cords.

For Reginites, we can use both. We still have vocalization. It's the Reginites decision to use which with what. Most stay with telepathy almost exclusively. Some few, like myself, prefer to use telepathy in only long distance communication. Otherwise, I use vocalization. I always wanted to be a bit different.

_"Machi? Where are you?" _I mentally asked him, getting off this machine.

_"I'm in the planet's outer atmosphere. I'll be landing soon."_

There was a small pause.

_"And on the way to home base, I'll grab a human. You want me to grab you a little snack?" _he asked. I smiled.

_"No human today. Get me an Earth rabbit or something." _I told him. I felt a mental chuckle.

_"You just gotta make me get something hard. When will you pick something slower? That way, I don't need technology to grab it."_

I can tell he was amused, but at the same time serious. I hardly blaim him. Martians are gravity bound while on Earth. They can barely move without strong effort. And difficulties involve breathing as well. This planet's atmosphere causes consistant drooling. Swear, he'll flood the place.

_"Okay...snatch an earth bird." _I said, chuckling to myself. I knew catching birds might as well be catching rabbits with wings.

_"You never make anything easy, do you?" _There was another pause. _"How about earth kangaroos?"_

_"Make it 2."_

With that, the telepathy link was gone.

**"Zerxus?" **I turned towards the door. It was Morphius. Since I can't understand any of my pets, I put on a translating collar on each. It will change whatever they're saying into Reginite vocal language.

I walked towards my reptile and picked him up.

"Yes, little Morphy?"

**"Can I go back in my tank?"**

"Why? It's playtime. And playtime is only one a day."

**"Well, no more playtime for me. Tiki won't stop nipping my shell and Muffin's fur is just making my shedding even worse." **my poor turtle informed.

"Aw...Well, how about this. We can go to the lake. Just the 2 of us. We can swim and have fun." I compromised. I knew Morphius was going through a tough time. Shedding can be annoying to any reptile.

**"That sounds good to me. Thanks."**

I smiled and escorted him outside our backyard, where the lake is. I completely trust those 2 other pets and Melissa will be there any moment. I softly threw my turtle into the water. He stayed under for a few seconds, then surfaced. Afterwards, I jumped in and played with my turtle all night.

And that's when Machi arrived the next morning.

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**On the next chapter, it's going to be Machi's POV of THIS chapter. You'll find out what the Martian has been up to while on his way home. Pleaz Review.**


	3. Life on Earth 2

**I do not own anything...literally. Here is the list of what I DON'T own:**

**Tiki is a Xenomorph, which IDON'T own.**

**War of the Worlds is another thing I DON'T own.**

**And the Crystal Egg is another thing I DON'T own.**

**I disown everything!****

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**

I traveled ever closer to our planetary neighbor. This trip won't be much longer. Until the, mental boredness occured. Having nothing better to do, I staered at one of my 16 tentacles. It wasn't really helping, but at least it's something. After a few seconds, that got old and I resorted to thinking on what to do for entertainment.

Suddenly, one of my other tentacles started twitching uncontrollably. I hadn't been moving it in a while, so that explains it. It wasn't hurting or causing discomfort of any kind, so I didn't stop it. Instead I watched it for a while.

But as soon as Zerxus got withen mental range, I addressed him.

_"Zerxus?"_ I called out. Almost immediatly, the Reginite answered.

_"Machi? Where are you?" _he asked. I smiled.

_"I'm in the planet's outer atmosphere. I'll be landing soon." _I told him. I stopped the twitching tentacle. I then headed down to Earth. _"And on my way to home base, I'll grab a human You want me to bring you a little snack?" _I offered.

_"No human today. Get me an Earth rabbit or something."_

An Earth rabbit? You gotta be kidding me! I need my Handling Machine to catch those...which I left at home base. I chuckled lightly.

_"You just gotta pick something hard. When will you pick something slower? That way I don't need technology to grab it."_

There was a small pause.

_"Okay...get me an Earth bird."_

A bird! That's even worse! At least rabbits can't fly away. Zerxus sure has a taste for fast food.

_"You never make anything easy do you?"_

There's only a few speedy creatures that I can catch with no help of machinery. With one of the unlucky species in mind, I changed course from the USA to Australia.

_"How about Earth kangaroos?" _I suggested.

_"Make it 2." _he agreed. With a satisfied smile, I broke the link.Suddenly, my Tripod began to shake violently. That's when I realized that the hood has landed. It stood up as the legs lowered from beneath it. As soon as I got my towering machine steady, I moved towards my favorite outback savannah.

I learned that this particular spot was popular to these Earth marsupials. It's mid day, so these kangaroos haven't arrived yet. I retracted the 3 legs and got out my Tripod.

There's some things I hate about this planet. It's hard to breathe and move. In fact, it's so difficult, that every move and breath taken is indeed very painful. Like getting stabbed by sharp objects repeatedly. But you can get used to it.

I slowly hid amonst the tall grasses. I'm taller than the grass though, so I busied myself by digging a hole underneath myself. That's a daily habit when trying to catch roos.

I also purpsely threw dirt over myself. The kangaroos that come here appear to take my scent as a threat and they run. Considering that all Martians have no sense of smell, I'm not sure if covering myself with dirt actually helps. But from the roos calmness of that strategy, it suggest that it works.

Afterwards, I patiently waited. It was a long time before 1 hopping furball came. After a quick look around, it bent down and started nibbling on the plants.

I smiled as a young furball poked out of a pouch. Perfect. 2 kangaroos. Just as Zerxus ordered. Carefully, I poked a tentacle out of my hiding place and wiggled it. The little one saw it and got out that pouch. It then curiously approached the tentacle.

_"C'mon, little one. It's okay." _I told it. I'll only communicate with the youngs joeys, since they need to be reassured.

But once it was close enough, I used my bait tentacle to grab hold of it. Looking at my catch, I dragged myself out of hiding. I then stared challengingly at the parent.

The adult did exactly as I wanted. It came to it's offspring's rescue. But i happily foiled that plan.

I wrapped a few tentacles around it. The adult thrashed and struggled, but I held it tight. I turned and headed back to my Tripod. I dropped them into the cage baskets. I then got into my machine.

My Tripod stood up and headed towards the Pacific Ocean. Like Zerxus' Z'hina, my Tripod is functional under water. But just before I submerged, I enclosed the basket in a large metal protector. This will prevent my earthly cargo from drowning.

Once I made it to California, I withdrew the case. On my way to home base, I snatched a random human and too put him in the cage. Sometimes, I would find the human dead, having been killed by Zerxus' food. But I never cared. Humans are expendable. If one dies, there's alway another to replace it.

When I arrived, I notice Zerxus swimming in the lake. Reginites love getting wet. That's a life requirement. Being amphibians, they constantly need to take trips into water or their planet's supply. I don't know what it's called on Yacama, but it's similar to Earth water, but colder and thicker.

I lowered my Tripod near my Handling Machine and got out. I pulled myself into the second machine and got into the home.

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**The betraying action will start on the end of the next 2 chapters. Pleaz review.**


	4. Home Again

**I do not own anything...literally. Here is the list of what I DON'T own:**

**Tiki is a Xenomorph, which I DON'T own.**

**War of the Worlds is another thing I DON'T own.**

**And the Crystal Egg is another thing I DON'T own.**

**I disown everything!****

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**

Machi opened the door and came right in on his machine. I smiled as Muffin and tiki pushed themselves from behind my legs.

**"Machi!"** they shouted, happy that he's home. Machi smiled.

**"Yay! You're home!" **Muffin continued. I walked up and grabbed my overly excited pets.

"No more chocolate for you 2." I transported the 2 back into their cages.

"Hi Zerxus!" I heard a group of humans say. I turned to find Melissa and her 2 friends, Victoria and Daniel.

"I thought I said they can only stay for a few hours." I told her. Melissa shrugged.

"They wanted a sleep over and I needed help keeping the 2 hyper pals from destroying the place." she informed. I shook my head.

"They can't stay much longer. Machi is back and you know how he gets when unexpected visits for HUMANS happen." I warned.

"Machi knows them."

"Speaking of Machi..." Daniel started. "We have to beat him on our video games!"

"Let's go!" Victoria said, walking out towards Machi. The other 2 followed her. I sighed.

"Great. Now they'll take over the TV." I mumbled to myself. I went out the back door towards Machi's Tripod. He never told me what Martians call any of their machines. Instead, he uses the human words for them.

I looked in and found my food. 2 Kangaroos, a mother and her joey saftly in her pouch. I also saw a human. He was dead, killed by my meal. Machi is going to have to get a replacement.

I opened the cage and the kangaroo hopped out and tried to get away. But I grabbed its tail. This is the best way to grab one since they can't turn and kick you. I dragged it towards the house.

I opened the door and walked in. I went past the 4 video game players. They paused the game and watched me drag my hopping and struggling prey towards my Yacama/ bed room.

"What are you going to do with that?" Victoria asked. I didn't annswer. I knew she would start panicing if she found out its fate. But she found out on her own. She looked at Melissa. "He's going to eat it, isn't he?"

I didn't see the conversation any further as I walked down the hall. The mother kangaroo dropped the joey on the floor. That's a defense tactic for both the parent and the baby. If the adult gets caught, the joey will still be alive. And, free of the extra weight, it's mother has a better chance at living.

Then, if both survive, the mom will come back for it. But in this situation, the mother is never coming back.

I ignored the joey and continued to escort Mama Roo to my room. I'll come back for the infant, as it's instinct to stay perfectly still.

Once I got my not so happy meal into my mini Yacama room, I strapped it down to the table. After stopping it's struggles, I begun preparation.

Earth creatures don't have the nutritional value needed to us Reginites. So I'll have to change that. I grabbed some amarenths that was growning on the floor and attempted to feed it to my prey.

It refused, so I forced the plant down it's throat. I also forced sotachu down it's mouth. Sotachu is Yacama water. I patted it's underbelly and shoved in more amarenths. Afterwards, I injected a certain medicine inside. This will keep me from catching illnesses.

Then I left the room to allow it to spread through the animals body. I was going to get the joey when I realized it was missing. I was stunned for a moment, then knew what happened.

"VICTORIA!" I yelled, running quickly to the game room. I spotted her on the couch next to Machi, playing that game of their's. O)n her lap was my target. She spotted me and gave Machi her controls. She then stood up, holding the joey.

"Gotta go!" she said frantically, shutting off the game. Melissa hit the arm rest.

"Aw man! And we were winning!" she complained. Victoria attempted to run off, but I quickly caught her. I had no intrest in harming her. I just want the furball. I succeeded, but as soon as I started walking, she gripped my cape, being dragged along trying to yank me back. But I'm way too strong for her.

"C'mon! Don't eat her! She's still a baby!" Victoria started. I ignored her. Having no other plan, she bit my arm. I screeched in surprise, letting go of my food which the human grabbed.

Us Reginites are poisonous, but she didn't bite hard enough to release it. I turned angrily at her.

"Listen human! You have your luck of us allowing you to come over any time Melissa wanted! Don't push it! Remember, coming here is a privilege, not a right, so don't abuse it by stealing my food! Now...give me my joey or you'll replace it!" I threatened.

I never bluff. If I say something, it's always true. Bluffing is too cowardly in my standards. Victoria knew very well that if I threaten to do something, I'll do it.

There was silence. Melissa, Daniel, and Machi stayed out of it. Instead they watched at the sidellines. Victoria sighed and looked at the joey.

"I'm sorry Joey. I tried." Victoria mumbled. She handed it to me and I took it and carried it to my room. There I repeated the same procedure of preparation, and then got ready to eat my dinner.

An hour later and I was done with my food. Melissa's friends left already. I was at the lake, splashing water over myself when Machi approached.

_"I can't believe you let that Earth joey go with Victoria. Why'd you do that?" _Machi asked. I sighed. It's true. I did let the joey go. I couldn't bring myself to eat it.

"Yeah...dang joey got to me." I admitted. Machi chuckled. Though Martians can never vocalize, they can still laugh quietly. They do so by breaking up exhales of air through their beak-like mouth.

_"Zerxus. You are too benevolent for you're own good." _he told me. I looked at him.

"What?" I asked. What is this martian talking about?

He smiled.

_"Poor poor Reginite. So highly confused. And that's what makes you incredibly vulnerable." _he continued. I tilted my head. What he's saying is even more confusing. And when did he start calling me Reginite? He never said that to me before. he always call me by my name.

_"Tell me. What do you make of this?"_

He showed me a large shining egg shaped object. I gasped. It's the Crystal Egg! This isn't good!

The last thing I saw was Machi, whose eyes started glowing a blue color. Then everything was fuzzy and I blacked out.

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**You should know that next chapter is this chapter from Machi's POV. Just reminding yall, okay?**


	5. Ch 4 and Half: Eye Witness

**I do not own anything...literally. Here is the list of what I DON'T own:**

**Tiki is a Xenomorph, which I DON'T own.**

**War of the Worlds is another thing I DON'T own.**

**And the Crystal Egg is another thing I DON'T own.**

**I disown everything!****

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**

I wondered the inside of my cage. I can't sleep. Something is wrong. I've been trying to contact Machi, but strangly the Hive Miind is blocked. I knew Machi was not a queen. I knew very well that he's a Martian.

But strangely, I see him as a higher xeno...a praetorian. Not a queen, but almost. But regardless of what he is, I still have to treat him as a superior.

I used my tail to leap onto the cage bars. I'm 4 feet long and 3 feet of it is my tail. I haven't grown hind legs but I do have small front legs. And I use them to walk.

I have no back spikes nor a tail blade. My head is not yet elongated and I have no protective exoskeleton.

What I do have is acidic blood, strong claws and teeth, and an already functional second jaw that is my tongue. I tried to contact Machi again, but again it was blocked.

Frightened as to what might be going on, I shook the bars I was clinging to. The sound caused Muffin to look at me from her cage.

**"What are you doing?"** she asked. I stopped shaking the bars and jumped off.

**"I can feel it. Something's wrong. And I'm going to find this out." **I answered her. I tackled the cage and it fell off the table. the door even flew open. I got out.

**"Play time?" **she asked. I smiled.

**"Exploring time!"** I answered. I climbed towards Muffin's cage.

I bit my arm until it bled slightly. I dipped a claw in it and spread it on certain parts on her cage bars, forming a circle of acid burnt metal. I gripped the loose bars and pulled them out and away.

Muffin hopped out and we both ran quickly and quietly towards Morphy's tank. During our journey across the house, we saw no signs of Machi and Zerxus. When we got to Morphy's tank, we tapped on the glass to get his attention. He looked at us and watched as we removed the top and jumped in.

**"What's going on?"** Morphy asked.

**"Tiki thinks something's up with** **Machi!" **Muffin told him. We were about to get out when we heard the back door open and close. We froze and hid in the tank plants.

When we peeked out, the scene horrified us. Machi was dragging Zerxus towards the closet. From the look of it, Zerxus was out cold. Machi then opened the closet and literally threw Zerxus in like he was a dead animal.

We watched as he slammed the door shut and locked it. Afterwards, he moved pass the tank, not noticing us.

This is bad.

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**I'll be going to Tiki's POV everytime Zerxus blacks out. That way, yall know what'll happen during that time. I'm no longer doing Machi's POV, okay? Sorry to all Martian lovers. But I friend of mine feels it's best to keep it one sided.**


	6. Hostage and Threats

**I do not own anything...literally. Here is the list of what I DON'T own:**

**Tiki is a Xenomorph, which I DON'T own.**

**War of the Worlds is another thing I DON'T own.**

**And the Crystal Egg is another thing I DON'T own.**

**I disown everything!****

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**

I stirred and opened my eyes. At first I didn't know where I am or why I'm even lying down. Then it all came back. Machi did this to me. I rose my head and looked around. I'm in the closet.

My head and body felt as though they've been hit with a Z'hina. As much as it pains me to do so, I stood up. I nearly toppled over but I recovered my balance. I shakily walked to the door and tried to open it. I was disappointed to find it locked.

I lost my patients and pounded the door.

"Melissa! Tiki! Muffin! Morphy! Open the door!" I shouted as loud as I can.

_"They can't hear you. They're not here."_

Machi. He's right on the other side of the door. I stopped my pounding.

"Machi...let me out." I tried calmly.

_"I'm sorry. I can't do that." _he said. I can tell that he's not sorry at all.

"Stop playing with me Machi! This isn't funny!"

Reginites natural interpret ever bad situation as a game. It keeps us calm and brings down stress.

_"Everything for Reginites is fun and games. I'm not playing. I'm serious. You're not coming out."_

"Then who's going to watch my pets.?" My pets to me is like children to humans. My pets are my life. They're the only things keeping me from leaving this planet. And I can't leave them alone for extended periods of time, especially Muffin and Tiki.

_"I got that all taken care of. I sent them outside to play. I'll watch them as if they're my own pets."_

I didn't like that. Who knows how Martians treat their pets. Despite the situation, my stomach complained for food. There's another problem.

"What about food?"

_"You hungry?"_

"Yes."

_"Melissa ordered pizza. I'll give some to you when the delivery come."_

"Delivery? Man..." I turned away from the door. I hate delivery. "I'm going to starve before they come."

I heard Machi chuckle.

_"They'll be here in 5 minutes. Any later and it's free. Either way, this delivery human will be very unlucky."_

I heard his Handling Machine turn around, about to walk away.

"5 minutes? I'll starve to death before then." I mumbled to myself. I layed down, looking out through the crack on the door bottom. My body was acheing for food. I wonder...

"Machi!" I called. He came back.

_"You rang?"_

"How long was I out?"

_"Few days." _The door bell rang. _"Gotta go get that."_

As he left, I listened. There was a pause and the door opened. I heard a male human yell and there were clues of struggling. I saw Machi's shadow go by. Another pause and the yelling got louder. Then silence. I waited for something to happen, but nothing did for a while. Just when I was about to turn away, Machi returned. He shuffled with something and shoved a pizza box under the door. The box was stuck for a moment, but I yanked it in.

_"Only a few. The rest is for your pets."_

At least I knew that he was feeding them. I took a few pepperoni slices and shoved the box back under. Machi grabbed it and left.

I nibbled on a slice. I'm not a fan of human foods but I was starving. After a while of small nibbling, I saved the rest in a corner. Knowing Machi, these pizza slices will be my only food.

I paced around the room, pausing to listen to what's going on outside. I climbed onto the highest rack and layed down, staring at the room below. I was trying to get a birds eye view, in an effort to find an escape. There was no hole or large cracks.

Reginites can fit through a space at least half a foot high and just as wide.

Suddenly, Machi opened the door, got in, and shut it behind him. He looked at me and tried to grab me. Fearing the worst, I jumped and clung to the ceiling using my suction cups. I was way outta reach for Machi.

_"It's alright, zerxus. I just need to ask a few things. Come down from there."_ he said. I huffed and backed away even further.

"Then ask. Just don't try to grab me."

_"Now now Reginite. No need to be frightened. I won't do anything to harm you as long as you cooperate." _he continued, not making the slightest move towards me. Good. I'd like to keep my distance.

"You can ask me without grabbing me. I don't trust you anymore."

Machi smiled with a strange combination of innocence and a taunt..

_"Don't trust me? I thought we were friends."_

"You sure have a weird sense of friendship. Last time I checked, locking your buddy in the closet isn't exactly friendly."

_"You're biggest mistake was trusting me at all. Now Reginite, this is how it'll work. Tell me what I need to know or I'll make you feel that your head will explode."_

I paused. Machi never threatened me before, so I'm not sure if he's bluffing or not. Machi seemed to pick that up.

_"Don't believe me? Well...how about this."_

Then there was a horrible sudden pain in my head. It was so severe that I fell off the ceiling and crashed to the ground with a loud thud. Reginites have tbick skin as a first physical defense. A fall like that won't even hurt.

But the pain in my head continued, causing my body to thrash around violently.

_"Still think I'm bluffing Reginite? Now if you don't cooperate next time I come around, I'll make your whole body feel like that."_

Suddenly, the pain got worse but then died down. It's over, but I feel so weak I couldn't move. I just layed there, panting. I looked at Machi, using all the strength I had.

_"I'll ask the question next time. Until then think. Think about what you're going to do. You can answer my question or you can suffer until you do. Just remember, I'm not afraid to KILL you. I'm being nice enough not to_._ But there CAN be a price to life if you decide to be stubborn. I'll make your life a living nightmare."_

I didn't comprehend the rest, as I finally blacked out. It's going to be a long night.

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**I ain't got much to say. Next chapter will take a while in my standards because this is where I stopped on paper. Hi...pleaz review.**


	7. The Power of Pets!

**I do not own anything...literally. Here is the list of what I DON'T own:**

**Tiki is a Xenomorph, which I DON'T own.**

**War of the Worlds is another thing I DON'T own.**

**And the Crystal Egg is another thing I DON'T own.**

**I disown everything!**

**

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**

The door slammed open, startling me awake. It was Machi. He didn't look very happy.

_"Where's the pets?" _he asked. I tilted my head.

"What are you saying?"

He grabbed me around the throat and tightened his grip. Although my windpipe was closed, I can still breath through my crest.

_"Machi. Calm down. I don't know where they are." _I said, using telepathy. Machi got a grip on his temper and dropped me.

_"Let me make easier. Tiki devised a plan to rescue you."_

"They are?" I asked. Machi paused and smiled.

_"They won't succeed. Nothing can save you. I'll insure it." _he told me. _"Now for the questioon...where is the pzanos?" _

I was stunned. The pzanos is like the Crystal Egg, except a bit different. It can be called the Crystal Skull. The Crystal Egg controls life. The other controls death and destruction. If the Martians were to get a hold on it, they'll be able to kill anything. They'll practically rule the universe.

I'm not going to let that happen.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

I heard a zippy sound and felt something whip my face so hard, I was sent flying into the wall. Machi has hit me with a tentacle.

_"Don't give me any of that, Reginite! The Council told me everything. They said you're the only one that knows."_

Oh great. Betrayed by the Council. But I'm not giving up that easily.

"They lie. I know nothing."

The explosion of pain returned, but not just my head, my whole body.

_"When I say don't lie, I mean it. I know you enough to know when you're telling a lie. And you're not being truthful."_

The pain got worst. Then it got light enough to let me talk, but it was still there, waiting to go back.

"Alright...I admit...I know." I said, huffing and puffing.

_"Then where?" _The pain went away completely. I knew it could easily return. But I don't care.

"I know...doesn't mean...I'll tell..." The pain immediatly came back.

_"You learn nothing Reginite. Not answering causes the worst pain of your life." _ I growled lightly.

"I...don't...care...! I'd...rather...DIE...than...tell...you...anything!" He smiled and chuckled.

_"Death __so soon? That's no fun. But if that's what it takes, then so be it."_

The pain reached it's ultimate high. It was so intense I actually felt my life slip away. Then, on the verge of death, a break.

The door bell rang repeatedly and annoyingly. Machi huffed and released his mental hold.

_"You're quite lucky this time reginite. I'll give you a few more chances." _With that, machi left to answer the door.

I gained enough strength to pull myself against the wall. While I tried to slow my laboured breathing, I thought about one of my opinions.

The ultimate sacrifice: Mental death. As in we use our brain power to shut down all bodily functions. It's an alternative ability that only Reginites have. We only use it to stop suffering. Mental death is the best way to go. No pian or anything, just concentrate.

I agreed with myself and layed down across the floor. I closed my eyes and thought hard of my intention. I was in the middle of the proccess when I heard a noise within the wall. Curiousity sparked and I dropped what I was doing. I stared in the direction of the noise and saw a hole start to form. Then Muffin crawled into the room. She has knawed her way in here.

**"Hi, Zerxus." **she greeted cutely. I smiled as best I could. She chirttered her teeth a bit.

**"Hurry up Muffin! Melissa could only distract Machi for so long!" **I heard Tiki's voice yell from within the hole. They were too big to exit. Muffin paused for a moment, then began to chew the edge of the hole, making it bigger.

In a minute or 2, Tiki and Morphius squeezed in. They immediatly ran to hug me.

**"Zerxus! We thought you'de be dead! But I got new info regarding Machi!"** Tiki said, catching all our attention. **"You're death won't matter! Whether you're dead or not, the Martians will still get what they want!" **

But how? How would they get the pzanos if I'm dead? I was about to ask Tiki thatwhen the door opened.

_"Very good Tiki. And Reginite?" _Machi looked at me. _"I have something for you."_

He held up a tentacle and revealed Melissa. She was thrashing and struggling and yelling that Machi should put her down.

_"Your little distraction game was fun for a bit. Then it just got annoying. Don't do it again." _He threw Melissa in and she landed on me. It was painful to my already hurting form. _"I'll decide what to with you later."_

He shut the door.

"Sorry, Zerxus." Melissa apolegized, gettin off. I stayed down. My pets stared, as if waiting.

**"What's wrong?" **Morphius asked. I didn't answer. What is there to say? That I'm better off dead? And even that won't help the slightest. I decided not to preform mmental death. For the sake of my pets.

**"Why don't you stand?" **Tiki said. I paused. I attempted to stand, but fell back down. That upsetting my pets and weakened me further.

Then my pets pitched in to help me up. I tumbled a few times but eventually succeeded. As Tiki and Melissa stayed by me in case I fall, Muffin and Morphius tried to get the hole big enough for me to escape.

I can always count on my pets.

* * *

**Next chapter may take another while. Not only have I not started on it, but my computer user got temporarily**** removed. I'll get it back as soon as I can. Until then, I'm using a friend's computer.**


	8. Deadly Truth

**I do not own anything...literally. Here is the list of what I DON'T own:**

**Tiki is a Xenomorph, which I DON'T own.**

**War of the Worlds is another thing I DON'T own.**

**And the Crystal Egg is another thing I DON'T own.**

**I disown everything!**

**

* * *

**

As soon as the hole was big enough, Melissa was the first in. Without her support, I nearly fell. But my little Xeno caught me in time. Melissa made herself fit. After several kicks, she finally got in. I smiled in confidence. Even in my current condition, I can easily take the squeeze. As I entered the hole, I felt my other 3 pets trying to get in. 

I crawled further and further, mainly relying on the suction cups to pull me through rather than strength.

Suddenly Melissa stopped. This caused all of us to crash into eachother.

**"What's the hold up!"** Tiki asked impatiently. Melissa paused and shifted around.

"I'm kinda stuck." she told us. I was too weak to push her through.

"Muffin...help her out...I can't..." I said. Muffin scurried pass and widen the burrow. Afterwards, they all looked at me worriedly.

**"Zerxus? Honestly, what's wrong?" **Morphius asked. I sighed. I can't tell them.

"Nothing...is wrong. I'm...fine." I asured, but lied. Unfortunatly, Tiki didn't buy it.

**"You can barly talk. You have trouble breathing. You can't stand or move without collapsing. Not only that, but the way you act has changed. You're quieter. You lost the spark of livly intrest that you always have in your eyes. And you're being more passive of what Machi is doing to you. Don't tell us there's nothing wrong." **she said.

I paused. Might as well tell the truth. They'll figure it out sooner or later.

"I'm...dying..." My pets gasped.

"What do you mean?" Melissa asked.

"Just...before...you...guys...showed up...Machi was very...close to...killing me...Then Melissa started...playing with...the door. That saved...me...But I attepted...to put an...end to myself...in the...hope that...if I die...the Martians...can't get...the pzanos...But from what...you told me...Tiki...it wouldn't have worked...And now...the effects of...mental death is...taking it's toll...Once a Reginite...attempts it...we ourselves...can't stop it..." I explained.

**"But what if you change your mind? What if you don't wanna die anymore?" **Muffin asked.

I paused again. This truth is even worse.

"If we...want to...cancel it...We have to...seek a.. Martian." I said.

**"Why?" **Morphy asked.

"Martians are...the only race...that can restore...lost life energy...Though they...seem to prefer...taking lives...they can achieve...the opposite...They do so...by giving up...some of...their own life...for you...This weakens...them for...a time...but they recover...The same is...true for...Reginites...We might end...up passing...out..."

**"But that means...Machi is the-" **Muffin started. But I decided to finish the sentence for her.

"Machi is...the only one...who can stop...this otherwise...inevitable death."

**"I don't think Machi is going to care about your well being." **Tiki said. I nodded. My goal is to get away from Machi, not trying to find him.

"Let's...keep going...When my death comes...I want to be...as far away...from that Martian...as possible..."

My pets nodded in understanding. We continued on our way. I had a terrible need to stop, relax, and close my eyes. ButI resisted it. There would be a huge possibility that I'll never wake up.

I have to live through this. If I die, nobody will protect my pets. And they would never stand a chance against Machi. When we got close to the exit, Muffin moved ahead. She paused at the opening and sniffed the air and looked around. That was once her job.

When I first got her from the pet store, she was the scout rat of the group. She always checks for danger beforee the rest comes out of hiding.

She confirmed it safe and wondered out. We knew that it was good to go and we came out into the open. On wobbly legs, I stood up. After a quick scan, I knew we were close to the back door. On the bottom of the door was a gnawwed hole. If I ever get out of this alive, I need to get a dog door. Muffin and Tiki is causing some real damage.

"We need...to get to...the computer..." I said. I had a plan. I have to tell the human soldier Heretic. The humans might be able to do something. This was their problem as much as mine. In other words: I fail, they die. Everything will die once the Martians succeed.

**"But we can run away! Now's our ch-" **Tiki started, but couldn't finish. Why? One word.

Machi.

He came in, smirking. Me and my pets backed off.

_"How many times do I have to tell you? You're not going anywhere." _he said, coming too close for our comfort.

Having nowhere to go, as we were cornered, I charged at him, taking care not to fall. But the martian has faster reflex than I gave him credit for. He wrapped a tentacle around my neck and mouth.

He wasn't trying to suffocate me, or he would've covered my crest.

I thrashed as much as I could but was struck with an idea. I quickly kicked his face with the last of my strength. That was the first time ever that I struck a Martian. It was enough to make him let go and get knocked off his Handling Machine. I crashed to the floor, lying still.

Normally, a kick from a reginite can kill a human with the greatest of ease. And it would knock creatures as large as Martians out cold. But, because of myphysical weakness, I had no such luck.

Machi thrashed his tentacles around a bit, but then dragged himself into his machine.

_"Bad choice Reginite."_

I stayed put, too weak from my attack yo do anything. Machi could practically kill me right now if he wanted. And I would be helpless and defenseless against him.

But this time, when the mental pain arrived, I didn't last 3 seconds. As much as I tried not to, I closed my eyes.

Hopefully, I would open them again.

* * *

**This is taking longer than I expected. Now I have to write the next chapter on paper again...COOL! I'll work on it right away!**


	9. Ch 10 and Half: Poor Muffin

**I do not own anything...literally. Here is the list of what I DON'T own:**

**Tiki is a Xenomorph, which I DON'T own.**

**War of the Worlds is another thing I DON'T own.**

**And the Crystal Egg is another thing I DON'T own.**

**I disown everything!**

**

* * *

**

I can't believe it. I can't believe Machi did this. I 'heard' of this from the Hive Mind we shared, but witnessing it first paw is worse...much worse.

Zerxus is lying, possibly life less, on the floor, right at the machine's feet. Machi was just standing there, looking down at our owner. One might think that he would at least show some remorse. But he didn't. How can I tell?

He was smiling and chuckling! That's not exactly sympathetic!

Me and the other 3 were scared to move, for it may attract Machi's attention. But we were also afraid to stay. We're sitting ducks! Easy targets! Melissa was the one brave enough to speak up.

"Is he dead?" she mumbled. Machi slowly looked at us, his smile widening.

_"No he isn't. But he'll soon be." _he answered, picking Zerxus up.

**"Don't touch him!" **Muffin warned, knashing her teeth and hitting the floor with her tail. That's a rat sign of anger and aggression. But Machi just chuckled tauntingly at her.

Muffin didn't like being made fun of, but she was smart enough to keep her distance. Machi is easily 50 times bigger than her, if not 100. He's much heavier and no doubt stronger.

**"Why are you doing this? Why not just forget about it and go back to the way things used to be? The times we trusted you." **Muffin asked. She was trying to get in touch with Machi's soft side. But I don't think he has one...not anymore.

_"Sweet Muffin. So young and naive. What I'm after is highly important. With the pzanos, Martians will continue to thrive. Mars may be dying, but the device I seek will supply us a new stable world to live in. We'll use it to destroy humans and all other Earth species, including the killing bacteria. We'll conquer this planet with great ease. We're making it our home."_

Muffin paused.

**"But what about all of us? Are we really that unimportant?"**

That only got Machi impatient.

_"Listen little rodent! Let me simplify this! Our alliance with the Reginites is a scam. We just use them for our dirty work! My so called 'relationship' with everyone in this house is fake. None of you mean anything to me. As far as I'm concerned, you all are expendable."_

That was a shock for all of us. So everything this Martian said to us in the past was a lie? Every smile he made while watching our silly antics was a sham? That hurts. I never felt this bad since...well...ever. The only creature that truely understands me and my ways didn't even care about me. He just used us like mere objects, things, not as living breathing beings.

It was too much for Muffin to bare. She was angry. Very angry.

So much in fact, that she ran all out at him. She jumped and clung to one of his tentacles. She then bit down into it.

Machi huffed and shook the tentacle in pain. Afterall, the jaws of a rat is one of the strongest on this planet. No surprise that it'll hurt.

Machi grabbed her and tried to yank her off. Muffin was so determined to stay on that she ripped the tentacle right off. Machi hooted and gurgled loudly. The lost tentacle wiggled in Muffin's mouth and she dropped it to the floor. But I knew that attack was in vain. I saw Machi once regenerate another tentacle a few months ago. It was ripped off by a dog. It only took the Martian a few minutes to grow a new one.

But poor Muffin never actually stood a chance. Machiwrapped another tentacle around her like a snake and tightened the grip. He was literally treating her like a squeeze toy that squeaks.

Then there was a sickening crunching noise that made all 3 of us cringe. Muffin went limp and Machi dropped her like a human child would a broken toy. He then left the room almost angerily, taking Zerxus with him.

We stared at Muffin. She didn't even reach her first birthday and she didn't move. She looked like she was sleeping, but we knew the sad and horrible truth.

Muffin, my best friend and partner in wrecking the house, was dead...and it's all Machi's fault.

* * *

**Rest in Peace Muffin. We'll miss you. Next chapter will arrive soon. But right now I have to leave to get party stuff. It's almost my birthday.**

**This chapter is in the memory of my own pet rat that died unexpectedly in her sleep. To Chippy, 2003-2006. You will always be my best friend ever and I'll remember you always.**


	10. Memory Number 2: Xeno Trouble

**I do not own anything...literally. Here is the list of what I DON'T own:**

**Tiki is a Xenomorph, which I DON'T own. No Xeno in this chapter belongs to me!**

**War of the Worlds (And it's aliens)is another thing I DON'T own.**

**And the Crystal Egg is another thing I DON'T own.**

**I disown everything!**

**Note: Previous chapter mysteriously disappeared and I can't replace it. So, I'll tell you. Zerxus was taken inside Machi's Tripod. There he reviews his life one memory at a time. He starts with his removal from the semi-cloning tank, where all Reginite Younglings are 'born'. He sees his kind for the first time and encountered a Martian. He was cleaned off and given a cape and then left alone. Before he could go off to explore he recieves a message of greeting.**

**

* * *

**

Flashback

_"I said hi." I turned in the opposite direction. There was a Martian. Except it was smaller, slightly bigger than me. It wasn't on one of those machine things. Instead it was walking with its tentacles. And it had a cape, just like me._

_"Hi." I said. It approached, almost excited._

_"I'm Machi. And the reason why I'm so small is because I'm a bud." it explained. I tilted my head._

_"What?...a bud?" I questioned._

_"That's a baby Martian."_

_I nodded. "Oh...I knew that."_

_"What's your name?" he asked._

_"Zerxus. Hey...what are you doing here anyways?" I asked. He paused thinking._

_"Nothing in particular." he answered a few seconds later._

_"Good. I need someone to play with." I said, hoping he'd get my playful message. I need a friend._

_"That sounds good to me."_

End of Flashback

We were best friends ever since. And our slightly different characters made us even closer. Machi was always the layed back one. I was more adventurous. He made the decisions, and I'd do the opposite. And, though it's now hard to believe, Machi was always comparibly peaceful, while I like to see things blow up. We were inseperable.

And I still laugh at one of our little antics that gave us a near death experience.

Flashback

_It was a year after we met. We grew slightly bigger together. I was now 3 ft. tall and Machi was 4 and a half ft. tall. Since we met, Machi has always been bigger than me. His height only increased now that he rode one of those machines, although he can walk and run with his tentacles just fine._

_We were going down the corridor, desperatly bored with nothing to do. Machi was reciting the long checklist of fun._

_"Set fire to the amarenths outside?" he asked. I shook my head, playing with my secondary pair of hands._

_"Done that yesterday." I told him. He paused._

_Although I was fully capable of telepathy, I prefered vocalization. Machi has used telepathy all his life._

_"Making the renehisses blow up?" he tried again. Renehisses are the Yacama equivilant of annoying flies. They're the size of a grapefruit. I shook my head again in a negative. Now it's my turn to try._

_"How about we trap a zith in a cage with no food and watch it starve to death." I suggested. A zith are those 2 legged Mars things thet Machi and all the other Martians feed on._

_"We did that already." Machi told me._

_Dang! I loved doing that one. And to screw up the Zith even more, I eat a tasty treat slowly and dramatically right in front of its face, while it slowly and painfully starves. And Machi enjoyed sitting back and watching._

_"Anything else?" I asked. Machi stopped in his tracks._

_"No. We're doomed to die of boredom!" He purposly fell off his machine and just layed on the floor. I walked up to him and too fell to the ground._

_"We're dead?" I asked._

_"Yes we are. There's nothing to do. Nothing to destroy." he answered._

_There was a pause._

_"We can get on everyone's nerve." I again suggested._

_"Been there, done that." he mumbled like it was the end of the planet Yacama._

_We sighed deepily, staring at the ceiling. Desperate, we decided to do a universal retarded song._

_"Clap your hands..." Machi began. I stomped the floor._

_"Stomp your feet..." I followed. Machi clapped his tentacles._

_"Retardation..." he continued._

_"Can't be beat." I finished._

_"The world is square!" we said at the same time._

_Another pause._

_"Well, let's not do that again. It's a life waster." Machi complained._

_"Tell me about it. That's 8 seconds of my life that I'll never get back." I mumbled. Suddenly, a thought struck me. I looked at Machi._

_"Hey remember that room the Martians have on the other side of the building?" I asked. Machi looked at me._

_"You mean that highly restricted place?" he questioned, looking a little concerned. I nodded. He shook his head. "No we can't go. I'm not even allowed in there. Only adult Martians are."_

_I smiled. "That's what'll be so fun about it. Imagine the look they'll have onm their face."_

_"Not a very happy one. We'll be in so much trouble." he said._

_"I know! That'll be so great!"_

_Machi didn't answer. He just stared. I knew convincing had to be done in order to get him to come with me._

_"Come on. Wouldn't it be fun to see what they have in there?"_

_Machi didn't have to listen to the rest. He knew where this is going. He sighed and got back onto his machine._

_"Alright. Let's get this done and over with before I change my mind." he said, giving up._

_"There's the Martian I know and hate. Let's go!" I jumped onto the machine and we made our long journey to the other side of the building._

_"Do you really hate me?" he asked on our way there._

_"No, of course not. I was only playing." I explained._

_After 20 minmutes, we arrived at our distination. There was a Martian sign on the door. I stared at it. I don't know how to read Martian yet._

_"What does the sign mean Machi?"_

_"It sya: Come right on in Zerxus and go get yourself killed." he translated with a tone. I smiled._

_"Okay! Come on Machi! Let's go get oursleves killed!" I said happily, about to kick the door open._

_"I was being sarcastic." he said._

_"I know. And the door's locked." I told him, kicking the door several times._

_"You think? You're doing it wrong! Here, let a Martian open a Martian door." he said. I stepped back as he placed a tentacle on the door. It clicked and opened._

_"How-?" I was about to ask._

_"All Martians are identical. See...budding has some advantages." Machi said. I smiled and we entered the dark room._

_"Whoa...This is great!" I said. The walls appeared to be covered in a kind of resin thing. It was also hot and dry._

_"I'm having a bad feeling about this." Machi mumbled as I examined the resin._

_"What kind of creature makes this kind of stuff?" I asked myself._

_"I don't know. But maybe we shoul;d go." he started._

_"We went this far already. We're not turning back yet."_

_We went further in the room._

_"This place got death written all over it." Machi again mumbled._

_"All the more reason to stay and explore." I said, moving ahead. Machi stopped._

_"What's that?" Machi asked, satring at something on the wall. I walked back next to him. I stared at the wall too._

_"I think it was a zith." I confirmed. And I was right. It was a zith. It was bound to the wall with resin. It was dead, with a gaping hole in it's chest._

_"What happened to it?" Machi again asked. I grimaced._

_"I have no idea." We had an answer in the form of a loud screech. We turned around, startled. Another zith was thrashing and yelling. Of course, it couldn't get free. The resin must be pretty hard to break. Suddenly, a yellowish thing emerged from it's chest. The zith died rather slowly and an explosion of purple blood splattered all over us. The yellow thing squealed, opening it's mouth to reveal sharp silvery teeth._

_I coul've sworn it paused and looked at us. It would be easier to tell if it actually had eyes! It squealed again. We stared as it fell to the ground with a soft thump. It clicked several times. then we heard a bunch of high pitched hisses._

_A whole group of giant black things came right at us. They had a long head and 4 pipe like things on their back. They also had a bony tail with a bladed end._

_"Run!" I shouted, heading towards the exit as fast as I could. I was almost there when:_

_"Ulla!" I stopped. That was the Martian distress call. Machi! I turned around and saw my Martian friend being dragged off the machine by one of the monsters. I immediatly went to rescue him. I kicked the monster, which was knocked back to the ground. I took Machi by some tentacles and ran, dragging him with me. _

_"Zerxus! I'm just slowing you down!" he said. I knew immediatly what he was implying._

_"No Machi! No you're not! We can get outta here alive AND together!" I told him._

_"I'm sorry Zerxus. Best friends till the end...unfortunatly, my end will come sooner than even I expected." he continued, muttering small ullas._

_"Machi! Don't you dare!" I warned._

_"Too late!" The tentacles that I was holding snapped clean off. That was a Martian defense, just like a gecko's and a gerbil's tail. I slowed down, looking at the wiggling limbs. I dropped them and returned for Machi._

_"What are you doing?" he asked._

_"If we die, we die together!" I exclaimed. He smiled. We hugged tightly in true friendship and closed our eyes, waiting for the end. But it never came. We opened our eyes to see that the monsters have stopped. We looked up to see a Martian standing over us._

_The monsters turned submissive and retreated as if on command. We sighed in relief, but that was the least of our problems. We felt the angered glare from the Martian._

_Me and machi looked at eachother and gulped._

End of Flashback

* * *

**A bit longer by normal standards. But that's good right. Pleaz review and tell me what you think of their past friendship. And which were you most like when you were young? Zerxus the trouble maker or Machi who worked like the good tiny voice in your head telling you what's right.**


	11. Rescued Again

**I do not own anything...literally. Here is the list of what I DON'T own:**

**Tiki is a Xenomorph, which I DON'T own. No Xeno in this chapter belongs to me!**

**War of the Worlds (And it's aliens) is another thing I DON'T own.**

**And the Crystal Egg is another thing I DON'T own.**

**I disown everything!**

**

* * *

**

I smiled at that memory. That accident made our bond even stronger. The fact that we were both willing to give up our lives for eachother was...I don't know the perfect word for it right now.

Since then, one would do anything to help the other. When he and his fellow Martians told us about a killer planet with a bad pest infestation, we decided to help them out. Afterall, they desperatly need a new good home and apparently, so do we. Us Reginites did have our eyes on a slightly better planet, but we couldn't resist helping them for some reason.

Of course, it didn't go according to plan and we understood why the Martians called this the killer planet. A great majority of our soldiers died of disease. I survived, but was being held captive in a human army base. And...it was Machi who came and risked his tentacles to rescue me.

Now it's like none of it happened. Machi was way different now. In the past, he saved me in more ways than I can even count. But now I know that those meant nothing to him anymore.

I huffed and changed the subject. I smiled again at a short memory of how I recieved one of the best gifts ever.

Flashback

_Machi had just saved mefrom the human base. He had taken me to the Earth's moon where there was a temporary Martian civilization. It was my first time there. We were going to the Martian lab, where they held various Earth creatures for study._

_You may wonder how anything can breathe here. Well, while the Martians were attempting the 2nd invasion, lunar pioneers were pumping artificial gas on the moon's surface, not to mention level the gravity equal to Mars. And since then, the Martians have been living there. But only for invasion preparation and other important matters._

_"I have a surprise for you Zerxus." Machi claimed. I survayed the large lab. There was tons of animals: Armadillos, lions, hyenas, bats...every kind, including non human discovered animals and even some humans. They were all kept in cells under careful observation._

_Machi stopped at a box and opened it. He reached in and there was a squeak. Then he removed what is now known as the one and only...Tiki. I smiled as she crawled up Machi's tentacle and came to rest on the top of his head._

_"Remember that Xeno incident 14 years ago? How you saved me and I intended to sacrifice myself so you can escape?" he asked._

_"And I came back for you..." I finished. Machi nodded._

_"This isn't the first chestburster we encountered. But she'll not only be your pet, she'll be a token of our friendship...to help us remember the greatest adventure of our lives. Treat her well because our friendship will last as long as she's still breathing." he said._

_"But she's a drone. And I heard Xenomorph drones don't live long." I told him. Machi smiled._

_"Don't worry. This drone is highly different. She'll live longer than even both of us. Xenos evolved to be overly better than their host, including life span. She'll be alive and kicking for a long time." he informed. Tiki hissed lightly and jumped onto my crest._

_"How old is she?" I asked as she scurried back and forth on my back._

_"A year old. Just like we were. She's still a baby do to the increased longevity. The longer the life, the longer you stay...'immature'._

_Machi placed a collar on her neck and Tiki talked for the first time._

**_"Your friendship will last forever. And I'll protect you as if you were the Queen. I promise."_**

End of Flashback

As soon as the last sentence flashed in my mind, I heard a burning noise. Beside me, a yellowish liquid fell to the floor from the ceiling. As soon as it made contact with the floor, it burned through the metal as if it were plastic.

**"Zerxus!" **Tiki yelled, all of a sudden landing in front of me. **"I'm so glad I found you!"**

She helped me to my feet.

"Where's...the...others?" I asked.

**"They're waiting outside. They can't get in this Martian machine."**

So...I'm in Machi's Tripod. That explained why I didn't reconize the place.

**"Come on! Machi will find out what we're doing! We have to move!" **Tiki urged, climbing back up. She stopped and looked at me. **"I'll help you out."**

And that's exactly what she did. She helped me up towards the acid burnt roof. Everytime I showed signs of falling, she'd come and restick the suction cups. It wasn't long before we finally got outside, climbing down the massive machine. As soon as the ground was reached, I fell to the grassy ground and layed there with my eyes tightly closed. I was awake but I remained limp as Melissa placed my upper body onto her back.

"Don't worry Zerxus. We'll keep you nice and safe. Machi isn't coming anywhere near you." Melissa mumbled in reassurance as she transported me towards the house.

"Where...is...Machi?" I asked.

**"We don't know. Ever since he killed Muffin, we'd been staying outside." **Morphius said. I snapped my eyes open.

"Muffin...is...dead?" I asked again. It can't be.

**"Yes...Machi killed her...she was mad and she was trying to protect you...just like she would if you were the most important rat in the whole world."** he continued.

Oh no...that couldn't have happened. My only little ball of fluff was gone. And she didn't even turn one. We were looking forward to having a little birthday party and it would've been the best day ever for her. Now that would never happen.

I can't let it happen again! Never again! I gathered my strength to jump over Melissa and I stood up. I promised myself not to let my other pets suffer the same fate. My little fuzzball's death will not be in vain!

"Come on...we need...to get...on the...computer...we need help."

We marched into the house towards the computer room. Sure, I felt like I was going to drop dead, which could actually happen, but I'm on a mission...a mission to protect my pets and get reinforcements.

When we finally arrived at our destination, I immediatly sat down and went on the internet. As soon as I got to the site forums I came across something new.

"Who's Clortho?" Melissa asked. I shook my head in a 'I don't know'.

"Whoever...it is...Machi sure...seems...interested...in replying to...him." I said.

"Scroll up to check the previous info." Melissa said. As I did that, Tiki and Morphius started complaining.

**"Just forget about it!" **Morphius started.

**"Yeah! Machi is bound to be near!" **Tiki agreed.

"He's a Reginite!" Melissa confirmed. I stopped scrolling and searched the post in question.

"He...is a...Reginite...! Unbelivable..." I mumbled. The proof was right there. Can anyone believe our luck?

**"Perfect! We can get him to help!" **Tiki exclaimed.

**"Reply! Reply!" **Morphius chanted.

I tried to reply to the new Reginite's posts, but it wouldn't go through! And to make the pressure even worse, something was fumbling with the locked door latch. It was Machi!

"Stupid...Earth...machine..." I muttered as the computer started to overload. I hit it lightly and it returned to normal. But I had to load everything all over again. I really hate this primitive human junk. My pets pressed themselves against the door, trying to keep Machi out.

"Can't that computer go any faster?" Melissa complained.

**"And the internet calls itself high speed!"** Tiki joined.

When I finally got back to the forums, the door slammed open. And before I could submit the second attempted post or even turn around, everything went totally black.

* * *

**I ain't got very much to say. My mind is totally blank right now. Pleaz review until the next chapter comes up.**


	12. Ch 14 and Half:Memory Wipage

**I do not own anything...literally. Here is the list of what I DON'T own:**

**Tiki is a Xenomorph, which I DON'T own. No Xeno in this chapter belongs to me!**

**War of the Worlds (And it's aliens) is another thing I DON'T own.**

**And the Crystal Egg is another thing I DON'T own.**

**I disown everything!**

**

* * *

**

We were trying to keep the door shut, trying to protect our owner. Unfortunatly, we weren't strong enough. The door opened so fast and so hard that all 3 of us were slammed between it and the wall. We heard something fall and we peeked out from our position. Zerxus was out cold...again! Machi's eyes glowed for a split second then went back to normal. I gulped.

**"Tiki. What did he just do?" **Morphy asked, whispering and hoping Machi couldn't hear us.

**"He wiped out Zerxus' memory regarding the Clortho Reginite." **I answered.

"How did he even know where to find us?" Melissa questioned quietly.

_"This was a trap little human." _Machi unexpectedly answered. The door suddenly closed, freeing us...unfortunately. I felt safer behind the door.

**"A trap?" **Morphy asked. Machi nodded.

_"I knew Zerxus would come to this machine. So I waited in my room across the hall. As it turns out, I was right."_

He took Zerxus and was about to go out the door.

**"Who's the new Reginite?" **I asked. Machi paused.

_"You mean Clortho?" _he asked.

**"Yes."**

_"He's a Reginite who has made his home in a human military base where that human friend 'works'. He's been there since the invasion."_

"Is he coming to rescue us? Please say yes." Melissa said.

_"No he won't. This is none of his concern. And besides, if he and his other Reginite friends think they'll have a chance against me then they're badly mistaken."_

**"There's more?" **Morphy asked.

_"Yes. He's accompanied by 3 of his Z'hina crew." _He paused, smiling. _"4 Reginites versus 1 Martian. Not even fair to the Reginites."_

"What do you mean? Exactly how many Reginites have you killed in your life time?" Melissa dared to ask.

_"More than 100." _We gulped, looking at eachother. I asked another terrifying question:

**"At most, how many did you kill at one time in hand to hand combat?"**

His smile widened. _"I killed 10 Reginites in one battle easily."_

"You are one sick Martian. And to think that you were nice." Melissa said. Machi chuckled, leaving the room.

_"Join the club. It's almost full." _He shut the door.

**"Wait!" **I yelled. He opened the door just a bit. **"Why wipe out Zerxus' memory, but not ours?"**

_"Because it'll be fun when you confuse Zerxus with something he's forgotten." _he answered.

"JERK!" Melissa shouted, throwing a book at him. He shut the door and the book bounced off. "I HATE YOU!"

Melissa then sat down and began having a hissy fit of frustration. Morphy looked at me worriedly.

**"Now what?" **I jumped on the doorknob and opened it.

**"We save Zerxus of course. I made a promise to protect him like a Queen. And that's exactly what I intend to do."**

So we went out of the room and journeyed outside. I dug the grass a little and looked around. Everything looked clear on my end.

**"Machi is coming!" **Morphy warned. We hid in a nearby bush and watched as the Martian took Zerxus back into the machine thing. He then began fixing the hole I made with my blood. After a quick Hive Mind scan, I knew that he was also making it acid proof.

Great. My blood is the only thing I can use to get in or out of something. While he worked, we tied to form another rescue plan.

**"I got it!" **I finally called out, after some long hours. Machi had gotten into the house a long time ago. **"Melissa, Morphy...We need a distraction for Machi. Are you guys willing to take the job?"**

After a pause, they smiled at me and nodded. Perfect.

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**Sorry it took so long. I had a lot of school work to be done and now this line thing that seperates the story and my retarded notes won't work on my computer. Until it does, there's 8s for everyone!**


	13. Ch 16 and Half: Abandon Ship!

**I do not own anything...literally. Here is the list of what I DON'T own:**

**Tiki is a Xenomorph, which I DON'T own. No Xeno in this chapter belongs to me!**

**War of the Worlds (And it's aliens) is another thing I DON'T own.**

**And the Crystal Egg is another thing I DON'T own.**

**I disown everything!**

**Note: Previous chapter has mysteriously disappeared and I can't put it back on. So, I'll tell you what happened. Tiki rescued Zerxus again and they retreated into his Z'hina war machine. There, they tried to escape Machi. But the Martian had other plans. He fought them in his own fighting Machine. Zerxus fought back, but lost to the more advance Martian tech. After the fall, Zerxus ran out to risk himself to lead Machi away from his pets, who he told to stay in the crashed Z'hina. But he forgot Machi had another weapon besides the heat ray. With the Black Smoke, Machi causes his former pal to lose consciousness.**

**Now it's Tiki POV.**

**

* * *

**

When Zerxus told us to stay here while he leaves, I was a bit uneasy. When I peeked out and saw him trying to lure Machi away, I was even more uneasy. Zerxus wasn't lying when he said he would die for us. Using himself as bait is too risky.

I've always seen Zerxus as a friend. And quite a loyal friend he is...willing to fight to the death for our safty. My Xenomorph instincts told me to do the same thing. But before I can follow, a black smoky gas went everywhere. I've seen this gas before. It made everything caught in it die. And the gas soon covered Zerxus. I was puilled between reason and instinct.

I knew well that Reginiites can't die from it, but Zerxus will black out and Machi will catch him again. My instinct told me to run out there and prevent that. But my rational inner voice said that if I go in there, I'll die before I'll even reach him.

Adult Xenos don't have to breath, but I'm still a chestbuster, and I can't do such a thing.

And to add more on reason, I'm the only one that can get inside Machi's 3 legged thingy. So I can always save Zerxus again.

My Reginite pal went out cold and I almost jumped out there. But I stopped myself. Machi's machine lowered and a metallic tentacle gently picked Zerxus up. He was limp but I can just see him breathing. Then Machi left.

"Tikii. We have to do something." Melissa said. I knew Machi was taking Zerxus back to the house.

**"I know! But we need to get this back." **I said. They nodded and we tried to make this thing raise itself. We got it up, but when we started moving, our inexperience showed. The machine banged into a large rock. Melissa looked at Morphy.

"Morphius, you're a terrible driver." she said.

**"I'm a turtle! I don't even have thumbs! Blaime evolution!"**

"Well keep your webbed feet off the controls."

**"Stop it! Just drive!" **I demanded. They stopped their arguing and we almost made the machine trip. We caught ourselves and continued. Melissa then spotted a red flashing button. Unfortunatly her curiousity got the better of her.

"Hey...what's this?"

She pressed it. Suddenly, everything started flashing red. Uh oh...

**_"Self destruction in 30 seconds."_** a computerized voice said. We screamed.

**"Run!"** I yelled. We left the machine's hood and slid down it's smooth legs. Then we retreated a few hundred feet. The machine fell to the ground and caught on fire in a light explosion from the inside.

We just stared.

"Oops." Melissa mumbled. "My bad..."

**"Zerxus is not going to be happy." **Morphy said.

**"I just hope he has insurance." **I added. We turned around sheepishly and walked stiffly towards the direction of the house. One last part of the machine caught fire in a soft blazing sound and we ran off like we were criminals.

Oopsie...it is Melissa's bad.

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**Sorry if this took longer than expected. Tons of school stuff has been piling up on me. I have 3 reports/projects that are a chunk of my grade and I only have a few days to finish them. I need a life...**


	14. Addicted to Ketchup!

**I do not own anything...literally. Here is the list of what I DON'T own:**

**Tiki is a Xenomorph, which I DON'T own. No Xeno in this chapter belongs to me!**

**War of the Worlds (And it's aliens) is another thing I DON'T own.**

**And the Crystal Egg is another thing I DON'T own.**

**I disown everything!**

**

* * *

**

I didn't have to wait long after I had awaken. I was back in Machi's Tripod, but Tiki arrived almost immediatly. And she was in a great hurry.

**"Come on Zerxus! Machi's out to get me!"** She pushed me up, but I just fell back down. Tiki just wasn't patient at the moment, especially when Machi's Handling Machine just outside the room. She grabbed my arm and dragged me towards the hole she used to get in here. Tiki wasn't using any gentle treatment as she shoved me in head first.

**"You can't stop me Machi! I'm a Xeno on a mission and I'm getting my friend in this hole!" **she muttered in challenge towards Machi. I'd laugh if I could. That last sentence sounds abusive. She pushed and shoved me until I was all the way through. I was surprised to almost fall off the edge of the machine.

Now I have to climb down? Forget that! I saw that the lake was just below. I felt Tiki squeeze beside me and I heard Machi open the door. I took the fall, which was less effort than climbing. Although weak, my body was built to to deal with impacts. When I crashed into the water, I just floated to the bottom and layed on my back against the sand. I feel comparably safe in the water, but deep inside I knew Machi can still get me.

I closed my eyes and enjoyed this moment as much as I can. If I die, I hope it's right here...in a Reginite's favorite element.

Suddenly, I felt something on my chest. I opened my eyes and saw Morphius. He swam towards the shore and I followed. As soon as I emerged, Tiki and Melissa grabbed me and dragged me once again, like I was a human plush toy.

**"Grab as much food as you can! We're getting out of here!" **Tiki said once we got in the kitchen. They let me go and started rummaging, throwing anything of little use against the opposite wall. I meanwhile, strained myself to get to the computer.

**"Wait for me!" **Morphius called out, running after me.

I automatically went on the forums. That when Tiki and Melissa came in with a red bottle.

**"Is ketchup edible if not on fries?" **Tiki asked. They paused. **"No more forums!"**

They tried to get me away when the front door opened and closed. Machi's inside! They stopped yanking.

"No time to run." Melissa whispered.

**"Stay here. I'll be right back." **Tiki softly mumbled when we heard Machi go upstairs, possibly looking for us. Tiki cautiously walked out the room. There was a soft bang in the kitchen. Then Tiki walked in...with the fridge!

"Dang girl! What the crap?" Melissa exclaimed. Tiki shut the door, locked it, and pressed the human food cooling device against it.

**Anyone know how long this will hold?" **Tiki asked.

"Against Machi? I give it 30 minutes." Melissa answered.

**"I give it 30 seconds." **Morphius said in negativity. Silence emerged as I clicked the first topic I had my mouse on. I didn't bother to read it, I just typed as fast as I can. There was alot of mistakes, as my suction cups didn't feel like cooperating. But I don't care, as long as someone can read it. I submitted it.

"How come Machi hadn't found us yet?" Melissa questioned.

**"I'm blocking the Hive mind. So now he doesn't know where we are or what we're doing." **Tiki answered simply. **"So...is ketchup edible?"** I smiled.

"...Yes..." I answered. Tiki opened it and squirted some in her mouth.

"You nasty." Melissa mumbled.

**"Hey, there's a reply."** Morphius informed. I immediatly read it, but not before Tiki jumped up onto the desk, suckling on the ketchup like a bottle.

**"It's from Clortho. He's a Reginite just like you**." she told me. Really? That made me feel better.

"Lay off the ketchup Tiki." Melissa said, trying to take the bottle away. Tiki hissed defensivly.

**"My ketchup**!" she claimed.

**"Clortho wants to know our coordinates."** Morphius explained to the other 2 while I replied.

"What does that mean?" Melissa asked.

**"He wants to know where we are, stupid**." Morphy answered my human pet.

**"And humans are supposed to be smart. I know snails that are mentally faster than you are**." Tiki joined.

"At least I ain't the one sucking on a ketchup bottle." Melissa shot back.

**"Don't harrass my ketchup! Bob can't help it if he tastes good."**

"You even named it."

**"What's with humans and the name Bob**?" Morphius asked. Melissa stopped abusing and Tiki paused in mid suck. I even ceased my typing to think. That's a good question. What is it with that name?

Suddenly, the door banged, but didn't budge. Machi! The door banged again, but it still didn't move.

I submitted my reply and again waited rather impatiently. Soon another reply arrived.

**"We're being rescued! Yay!"** Morphius cheered when he read it. Machi must've heard him because the banging got worse. Proud of this Reginite's cleverness of rescue plans and finding a way to enslave humans unnoticed, I tried to invite him to join the Council. But, although he appreciated the offer, he turned it down.

I informed that the offer is only once in a life time, but he was content the way he is. I repected his decision, but just as I was writing the post, Machi broke in. The pain returned and the last thing I managed was to submit what I got. Then lights out.

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**Sorry this took long, but the next chapter will take even longer probably. I'm going to be 'grounded' on Friday because one of my school grades suck and my...'parents' never like bad grades. I'll be grounded for a month most likely. Just giving yall the heads up.**


	15. Ch 18 and Half: Broken Ketchup

**I do not own anything...literally. Here is the list of what I DON'T own:**

**Tiki is a Xenomorph, which I DON'T own. No Xeno in this chapter belongs to me!**

**War of the Worlds (And it's aliens) is another thing I DON'T own.**

**And the Crystal Egg is another thing I DON'T own.**

**I disown everything!**

**

* * *

**

Machi managed to get in here. Dang it! Nothing is stopping him! And Zerxus is out cold again! Why does this keep happening? Machi moved towards Zerxus and pushed him off the chair. Our owner just fell to the floor, but at least he's alive. Machi typed something, then faced us.

_"Things will be much easier when you are all out of the picture. Especially you Tiki."_

I hissed at him, clenching Bob. Machi chuckled.

_"Yes...so much easier." _I hissed louder when he began to approach me. He ignored my threat and continued moving towards me. I squealed and stepped back. This is getting scary. Just then, Melissa stepped over me protectively.

"Stay away! You already killed Muffin! You're NOT going to do the same to Tiki!" Melissa said.

What happened next was fast, but I managed to catch it. Machi swung a tentacle at Melissa's head, but she caught it, thanks to her martial arts skills. Another tentacle whipped through the air and again Melissa grabbed it. But there was a disadvantage when you only have 2 hands and your opponent has 16 tentacles.

Suddenly another tentacle wrapped around her wrist, holding them in front of her. Machi yanked his 2 tentacles free, still holding her wrists. He swung a limb at her legs and tripped her. But before she hit the ground, he threw here across the room. Melissa banged against the wall and fell to the floor, unconsious.

Machi regarded her balefully for a moment, then turned back to me. He thought real quick and smiled.

_"On the other tentacle, maybe all of you can prove very useful to me."_

I began felling uneasy. The feeling got worse when Machi blocked the Hive Mind. Too quick, even for me, Machi grabbed me and Morphy. Thinmking fast, Morphy snatched Bob away from me and smashed the bottle in Machi's face.

Bob broke in half and the red sauce covered Machi's eyes and beak. Machi gurgled and hooted loudly, dropping us. Bob...I quickly ran to his aid. He lay broken, ketchup flowing out.

**"Bob!" **I yelled in grief. Morphy grabbed my paw and yanked me out of the room. **"Bob..."**

Once we got upstairs and into the nearest room, I mourned some more. Bob...he never stood a chance. First Muffin and now Bob...all my best friends are dying! What's wrong with me? Suddenly, Morphy swatted my head. I squealed in surprise.

**"Pull yourself together Tiki! We need another rescue!" **Morphy claimed. I whimpered and shivered, a Xeno's way of crying.

**"Bob!" **I screamed. Morphy swatted me again.

**"Forget about Bob. Think about Zerxus and what Machi might be planning to do with us. He already got Melissa!"**

After a while of crying and swatting, I got over Bob. We traveled back to the computer room only to find that nobody's there. Zerxus, Machi, and Melissa was gone. But I knew where they went, I just didn't know why Machi wanted us. But I soon found out.

* * *

**YAY! The line thing works again! I managed to get this chapter submitted. I'm still ground for 2 months. I only managed to sneak on because my 'parents' went somewhere and I have no school. Only about 2 chapters left in the story. Then I'll have nothing to do...which sucks.**


	16. Machi's New Tactic

**I do not own anything...literally. Here is the list of what I DON'T own:**

**Tiki is a Xenomorph, which I DON'T own. No Xeno in this chapter belongs to me!**

**War of the Worlds (And it's aliens) is another thing I DON'T own.**

**And the Crystal Egg is another thing I DON'T own.**

**I disown everything!**

**

* * *

**

I have yet to open my eyes. I tried to move but I was held in place. I was also laying on something cold and hard. I don't know where I am yet, but I don't think I want to find out.

"Zerxus?" a quiet voice called. At last I opened my eyes with much effort. I was on the dissection table! I found metal-like binds keeping me here. And pull as I might, I could not get free. I then saw Melissa in a cage like device, but the bars looked like simple beams of light. I knew better than to think that. She was staring at me.

"Are you hurt?" she asked. I didn't have the strength to answer.

**"Found you!"** I heard Tiki yell. She and Morphius ran for us when suddenly another cage came down over them, trapping the two.

_"Found YOU."_ Machi came in and smiled at my pets. He then turned towards me. _"Look what I caught Zerxus. And all I had to do was wait. Now I have the whole collection."_

"Why do you want us for?" Melissa asked. Machi chuckled.

_"You'll see soon enough."_

The table I was bound to rose into an upright position, rising. Soon I was eye to eye with Machi.

_"Now Zerxus. You know I'll do anything neccesary to get the pzanos, which includes killing you. But it doesn't have to be that way. Just tell me now and save yourself the grief."_

Grief? What? Machi sensed my confusion. He wandered to Melissa's cage and removed the protesting human. I knew his intention immediatly.

"...No..." I whispered softly. Machi took out his feeding device and smiled.

_"Tell me the pzanos' location if you ever want your precious pets alive." _he threatened. To this, Melissa thrashed harder.

"No! Leave us out of this! Put me down!" Machi ignored her.

_"Obviously torturing you isn't working and I'll only end you as a last resort. But how will the suffering of these 3 work, I wonder. Well, let's find out."_

He pinned Melissa to the floor, pointing the sharp needle like pipett at Melissa's face. My little human started crying, tears going down her cheeks. She has seen Machi feed before...and it wasn't an event she was looking forward to.

"Machi. No. Please. Don't do this." Melissa begged as Machi moved the needle over her neck.

_"Zerxus...you're the only one who can save her. Just tell me what I need to know."_

I stared at Melissa for the longest time. What am I to do? I don't know what's right anymore. A heavy feeling of failure came upon me. My 2 main goals were to keep the whereabouts of the pzanos secret and to keep my pets safe. Now I have to give one up for the other. This can't be happening.

"...I..." I don't know what to do. I paused. Machi moved the device ever closer to her skin. Melissa was crying hard, trying her best to stay away from the needle. I sighed as I made my horrible decision.

"...I..." I paused yet again, then continued. "...can't..."

_"So be it." _Machi jammed the needle near Melissa's collarbone area. I quickly closed my eyes and turned my head away as I heard Melissa's peircing scream.

**"MELISSA!!!" **I heard Tiki and Morphius shout similtaneously. I took a deep breath, almost wanting to shout myself. I looked to see Melissa still alive and in extreme pain, screaming and crying as Machi fed on her, sucking the life sustaining blood out of her system and injecting it into his. This was a horrible way to die and we all knew it.

Melissa had managed to squirm out of Machi's grip, but she was so weak of blood loss that she couldn't do much else. Machi quickly took control of her again. She didn't struggle or even move as Machi dragged her back. But I can still see her breathe...barely.

**"Leave her alone Machi! She's suffered enough already!" **Tiki yelled, crying. Machi chuckled. He slowly, almost carefully, removed the blood covered device.

_"You're right. She doesn't have much more blood to offer. Last chance to save her Zerxus. Do you change you're mind?"_

I remained silent...and it pained me to do so. Machi flipped Melissa onto her back and literally stabbed her stomach area. Melissa's eyes snapped open in shock and she gasped. She clutched the device tightly as what little blood she had left puddled under her.

**"Melissa..."** Morphius mumbled.

Machi drove the needle deeper, giving as little thought as a human would while impaling an ant (Now I feel bad about doing that to the local ants...SORRY ANTS!). He then yanked it out. Melissa clutched the wound and rolled onto her side, facing me. She stared at me through half opened eyes and it felt as though she wasn't in any pain. A tear went down her cheek as she gave a weak smile.

"I will always love you Zerxus...I'm sorry..." she whispered to me. Machi smiled as Melissa closed her eyes and breathed no more. I was on the verge of crying as her hands fell limply to the ground.

She's over...

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**Finally I am not grounded anymore! Yeah! Freedom! Freeeeeeedom! Hahahahahaha! -clears throat nervously- Anyways...One more chapter to go. What do you think will happen? Test your foreshadowing skills.**


	17. Break Through

**I do not own anything...literally. Here is the list of what I DON'T own:**

**Tiki is a Xenomorph, which I DON'T own. No Xeno in this chapter belongs to me!**

**War of the Worlds (And it's aliens) is another thing I DON'T own.**

**And the Crystal Egg is another thing I DON'T own.**

**I disown everything!**

**

* * *

**

_"Next on the death list." _Machi said as he approached Tiki and Morphius' cage. He reached in and grabbed Morphius. My little turtle retreated to his shell. Tiki grabbed him too and tried to pull him back in.

**"No!"** I flinched as Machi swatted her off. Tiki stayed on the floor, crying. **"Please Machi. Don't go through with this. I beg of you!"**

Morphius poked out of his shell and waved goodbye to Tiki. Great...not again. This little turtle is my...now oldest pet. Melissa was older but now she's gone, lying lifeless on the floor.

_"Alright Zerxus. You failed to save Melissa. Let's see if Morphius gets better luck."_

"...Don't..." I mumbled. Morphy withdrew again when Machi pointed the needle at his shell.

_"Then tell me where the pzanos is."_

I paused and closed my eyes, turning my head away. I didn't see the reptile's suffering, but knowing it was happening is just as bad. Machi wasn't a big fan of cold blooed creatures, but he'll still feed on them. I risked a peek and Machi removed the device. Morphy was still alive and actually still kicking, though not as strongly as before. Machi carried him over to me.

_"I won't be the one to kill this pathetic reptile. I have another idea. The cause of his death will be from his very owner: you."_

I was confused at first. I would never kill the very creature I tried so hard to protect. But I understood when Machi forced the turtle's mouth open and placed the helpless animal's beak on the forearm of one of my secondary limbs.

I gasped as Machi squeezed Morphy's jaws tight, digging the sharp edges into my skin. Although it was painful to me, I knew it would kill Morphy. Everything about a Reginite's body is poisonous, including skin and blood.

The Martians learned that fact when we first encountered them. Their first reaction to us was to have one feed on an unlucky Reginite scout. That Martian died 30 minutes later. Since then, they wanted to be our allies. Now I regret my race ever meeting them.

Morphius tried his best to resist, but being only the size of an adult human's hand, he had no chance of escaping. I felt the poison reflex activate, oozing the sticky white substance into his mouth. He tried to keep the liquid out of his throat, but Machi forced him to swallow it.

_"Drink it up little one. It'll be the last thing you'll ever do. Enjoy it while you can."_

But Morphy wasn't enjoying it at all. Not at all. He was clawing at Machi's tentacles, trying to pull his head into his shell, but no success. I couldn't help but turned away when the little one began to convulse violently. I knew the poison was taking affect.

Reginite toxins were designed to do one thing and one thing only: to make the attacker suffer a slow and horrible death. It's the way our systems get revenge on anything that causes us any pain. I wish we never evolved that. It took 15 minutes for Morphy to stop moving, dead. Machi removed the turtle and tossed him onto Melissa's body.

I felt excess poison and my own black blood ooze from the wound. Machi examined it closly. He smiled.

_"I always wanted to see Reginite toxins in action."_ He turned away and moved towards Tiki. But as soon as he opened the cage door, Tiki tried to make a break for it. Machi caught her easily when she climbed to the top, about to jump away. He grabbed his feeding device, but Tiki spat a yellow liquid on it. The acidic blood burned through it. Machi immediatly dropped it.

**"I wouldn't feed on me if I were you." **Tiki warned softly. Machi huffed, then moved back to me.

_"This is you're last chance Zerxus. After Tiki's death, it will be your turn to die. Unless you tell me what I need to know."_

I hissed at him. He made a deep gurgling sound in response.Tiki looked back and forth between us and snapped.

**"Stop it!" **she yelled, succeeding in getting our attention. **"Look at you 2. You're supposed to be best friends. Yet, you're both trying to kill eachother. That's not how it's supposed to be."**

Machi paused and stared at me. I stared back. I think Tiki's actually breaking through!

**"You knew eachother since the beginning. Machi...are you really willing to give up everything you have for something that might not turn out as planned? And Zerxus...you actually tried to run away from your problems instead of solving it. And now you're dying because of that."**

There was a silent pause. Maybe running isn't the best way to go. I've always been taught to face it, but I guess I forgot that lesson. I could see Machi's expression softened a bit. Tiki continued.

**"Both of you once told me a story of how you would've risked your life for the other's safty. Of how friendships can last forever." **She let out a sigh. I remember telling her about that, especially bringing up the Xeno incident. And I know Machi told her how he returned to the disease infested planet to save me from the human military base. He could've perished from sickness, as he wasn't immune back then, or he could've gotten killed by the human soldiers. But those risks didn't stop him.

**"I'm guessing that's exactly what they were. Stories that were never true and never will be."** She turned to Machi. **"So go ahead Machi. Kill me. I'm the token of your friendship. And now that's over. The only reason I live is to keep your bond strong and to protect Zerxus. Now he's dying and so is that relationship. I have no purpose anymore, thus no reason to go in life."**

Silence. Tiki was right. This is not how friends should act. We should be helping eachother, not trying to cause the other pain. we've been pals all our lives and nothing should break the bond between us. Nothing was worth losing it for. Machi knew that too. I just hoped it was enough.

Machi was deep in thought. I knew this was hard for him. To choose between his race's well being and my friendship. After a long wait, he gently put Tiki down, then faced me.

_"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I brought this down on the both of you. I'm sorry I brought all this pain and fear. And I'm sorry I wasn't acting much like a friend. I was only doing what I was meant to do and that was to ensure the survival of my race. I guess our way just isn't the right way. I was blinded and again I am sorry." _he apologized.

I smiled. Finally we had our Machi back. Unfortunatly we lost 3 great pets in the process. I'll never forget them. I nodded in acceptance. Mental death finally overtook me and I closed my eyes for thae last time. Suddenly, it felt a though a gigantic wave struck me. It wasn't painful. It was actually a good thing. Machi was saving me! Satisfied, I drifted off to sleep.

_"Rest, my little Reginite friend. You've earned it. Though I feel this event is best left forgotten." _Machi whispered softly in my head. All went black as I happily lost consiousness. I finally had my best friend back.

* * *

**Behold! The Ending! But what's this? I have a sequel! I'll post it if you want me to. Should I? You're opinion.**


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